6 Steps to Stocking the Perfect Home Bar

Every man needs a home bar stocked with the basics so he can entertain guests, as well as treat himself to a properly mixed drink. And while starting a home bar may seem daunting, but when your lady friend (or your boss) comes over and you can mindfully craft a cocktail of their choosing, you’ll surely be glad you knew what to do.

Below are the 6 basic guidelines to get your home bar up and running.

6 Steps to Stocking the Perfect Home Bar:

1. What Alcohols You Will Need:

Use your own personal taste and take into account your own needs when making your final decision. While you’ll use your home bar for entertaining, don’t forget that a home bar’s main customer is you.

Whiskey: A good whiskey can soothe any man’s soul and is necessary when musing over deep, manly thoughts that only a strong liquor can assuage. For a solid bar, you’ll want to have both bourbon and rye whiskey in your arsenal. A scotch whiskey wouldn’t be too bad to keep around, either.

Vodka: The ultimate fail-safe for any home bar is at least one good vodka. If your vodka consumption is limited to the cocktail, stick to a smooth, flavorless, high-quality variety. If you do enjoy vodka on its own … go ahead and venture into flavor-infused frills for shots and whatnot.

Gin: It’s one of the base spirits for many popular cocktails, so definitely have plenty on hand. If you’re looking to keep it simple, stick to a nice dry gin for your cocktail needs. If you’re a die-hard fan of gin, you can kick it up a notch. It’s all up to you.

Tequila: A must-have liquor for those evenings when nothing else will quench your thirst but a good old fashioned margarita. What type of tequila you stock depends on what you plan on using it for. Gold tequila is usually the cheaper type and is a great pick if you plan on using your tequila for mixed drinks. If you’d like to take your tequila straight up, you’ll want to go with this agave-based drink in its purest form — silver tequila.

Rum: This tasty liquor from the Caribbean is distilled from molasses. Dark rums are best for punches. Light rums are for mixing cocktails.

Other: These aren’t necessarily essentials, but it’s good to add a few extras to your bar, depending on what you like. If you’re a wine drinker, have a good white and red, at the least, in your home bar. If you enjoy a nice brew, beer is always welcome to the party. It’s also nice to offer a variety of craft sodas for your guests who are on the wagon for whatever reason. A good host is thoughtful towards all his guests.

5. Tools and Accessories:

While you don’t need anything too fancy, but the following tools should certainly suffice.

Shaker: Most proper drinks are shaken or stirred, after all.

Strainer: You’ll need this to strain all the ice and/or pulp out of your drink before consumption.

Jigger: Accuracy in cocktail making is important.

Cocktail Stirrer: A long, thin bar spoon will help you stir any cocktail quickly and efficiently without creating a lot of unnecessary disruption.

Mixing Glass: A simple yet elegant glass; while not necessary, comes in handy if you’re a big fan of stirred drinks.

Muddler: A muddler is a necessity for bringing out essential oils and potent flavor in citrus and herbs.

Channel Knife: Perfect for getting just the right kind of twist out of a citrus peel.

A Mixologist Recipe Book: Regardless of what anyone says, having one is always quote “handy”.

6. The Most Important Rule(s) to Remember:

Start small, grow gradually. Stocking a home bar is a marathon, not a sprint. Pick alcohol(s) you actually enjoy drinking. You’ll end up spending a fortune for alcohol that you’ll hardly ever use if you’re not careful. As you get more comfortable mixing drinks, expand your menu to include other cocktails.